Nuclear Fallout

Chapter Four - Ellen

Chapter Four - Ellen

I had already acquired a few cuts on my hands after crawling in the rubble of furniture for 30 minutes. I was starting to get tired and my injured leg throbbed with pain everytime I moved. It wasn't helping that the surface underneath me wasn't as stable as I thought it would be.

I had put my injured leg on half of a table when it splintered and caused me to crash to the floor. Bits of caught furniture came with it and half buried me in debris. Small explosions of dust came from above from where the furniture was disturbed. Coughing and retching I managed to pull myself out and stand in the cloud of dust. I cried out as a loose piece fell free and struck my head. Hot liquid trickled down my face; it had opened a wound in my head.

As I clutched my head to stop the bleeding, I heard another rustle. I dismissed it thinking that it was more loose furniture that had broken free in my fall. With my head pounding, I dragged myself towards the distant opening. My leg gave a loud grind everytime I moved forwards.

Out of nowhere, the mound to right of me trembled and fell blocking my path. Another cloud of dust rose and blinded me temporarily. In the dust there came a strange rasping noise. As if someone was breathing through a gas mask. My heart hammered inside my chest. I squinted through the haze and I saw a figure. Maybe someone survived! But I knew that hope was in vain. I didn't want to risk calling out.

What I saw next made me clamber away, ignoring the agony from my leg. A hand stretched out through the settling dust. Each finger was adorned with pus-filled boils and topped with razor sharp nails. Only there was seven fingers sticking out of that hand. Then came the other, just a stump of a wrist. The end of it withered and rotten reaching towards me. It lumbered forwards and revealed its face: it was as if three faces were merged into one head. There was a wide nose but with 6 nostrils that flare with every breath and the mouth was wide, filled with sharp small teeth that spilled out. It had 4 eyes each facing a different direction but every one of them a milky white. I realised that whatever it was, was blind. And that it was coming for me.

I turned and tried to run but only managing a few pathetic limps away from it. Away from my freedom. I stumbled and tripped over a fallen bar and landed hard. I was winded badly and when I turned back around, I saw that the thing had advanced forward faster than I expected to. It shoved its deformed face into mine. A guttural noise came from its mouth: “Blood. Give me blood."

Repulsed by the rancid breath a shoved my hands into its face, pushing it backwards and kicking it away. It gave a scream of rage and pounced onto me. With its stumpy arm, it rammed my head back exposing my neck. My heart thudded, my breath quickened, a scream built up in my throat and I could tell that the monster was sensing my fear as it coursed through my veins. Opening its horrible mouth, it lowered down towards my neck.